HOLLYOAKS star Ali Bastian has shared an emotional health update amid her battle with breast cancer.
The Becca Dean actress, who also starred in The Bill, has been candid about her stage two breast cancer diagnosis in recent months, with a positive development now shared with her fans.
Ali, 42, was told in June that she had stage two breast cancer, and now she has shared a huge update and moving milestone amid her battle.
The Hollyoaks star, who starred in the soap from 2001 until 2007, shared that she has finished her chemotherapy treatment five months after starting it.
“I got to ring (the tiny little bell I stole from my kid’s music box as they don’t do the [bell] thing here in Ireland) after five months of chemotherapy,” she penned on social media this week.
“I’m still halfway through this last cycle, so much still to process on every level,” she added.
Ali then spoke more about going through chemo, noting how it is “major” before praising the nursing team who have been looking after her.
“Chemo is major,” she said, adding: “The oncology nursing team at the Dunmanway CUH are INCREDIBLE, I said to them as I left… it’s not that I never want to see them again because I love them all so much.
“I just hope the next time I do we all have a glass of Prosecco in our hands raising money and awareness for all their incredible work.”
The soap star then sent love and well wishes to anybody going through something similar.
“For anyone going through this, you think the end will never come, and then through the fog… the goalposts appear,” she affirmed.
“You are not alone. Thank you all so, so much. I read every kind word of support and it honestly gets me through xxxxxxx,” she concluded alongside some heart emojis.
Flocking to the comments section, Ali was supported by pals who were quick to send their love and positive vibes to the TV star.
Lizzie Cundy wrote: “Stay positive and keep strong my beautiful friend. You are amazing.”
And Giovanna Fletcher penned a string of red heart emojis before adding a message that read: “Sending you huge amounts of love!! Xxx.”
Ali resides in Ireland and shares two children with her husband David O’Mahony, who starred in her video announcing her happy news.
I could hear it in the tone of her voice but she told me in the kindest way possible.
Ali Bastian on her cancer diagnosis
The pair share Isabella, 19 months, and Isla, four.
Speaking to OK! Magazine in September after processing the news of her diagnosis for a couple of months, Ali said it was a “total shock”.
“It was a total shock,” she told the outlet at the start of the autumn.
She went on to share how it was hard for her to process before revealing some of the details of her diagnosis.
Ali explained how she first discovered a lump when she was breastfeeding her 19-month-old daughter Isabella.
She noted how her daughter was “feeding like crazy”, adding: “I was thinking, ‘Maybe she’s having a growth spurt or something.’ And because of that, my boobs felt sore.
“The next morning I woke up and thought, ‘Ouch, this really hurts.’ And that’s when I felt a lump.”
At first, Ali thought she had a blocked duct, with her going to the emergency doctor immediately.
“The doctor gave me antibiotics and said that if it didn’t clear up in a few days I should go to the breast clinic,” she recalled.
Ali then revealed how she went to see her GP and asked to be referred to the breast clinic, where she underwent tests that took a few days for the results to come back.
Then, recalling the moment she found out about her diagnosis, she said: “I could hear it in the tone of her voice but she told me in the kindest way possible.
“She was very reassuring. She said the words that I’m holding on to, that they have ‘intent to cure me’.”
Later in her interview with the magazine, it was revealed that Ali’s cancer was discovered to be “hormone-driven”, with doctors looking into whether it could be genetic.
“The multidisciplinary team decided what order I should have my chemotherapy and operation,” Ali, who is due to have a single mastectomy, added.
“I’ve asked if they would consider a double mastectomy as a preventative measure and they would, but it’s not been fully discussed yet,” she said at the time.
